Adrien
Marinette didn't look back at Adrien even once while they were going down the stairs. But Adrien was sure she was wondering about what just happened. He knew she was trying to decide, and he made the first move, he had the high ground.
"Marinette." called Gabriel "I still have to talk with you."
Marinette nodded and accompanied Gabriel to his office. What could he want to talk with her now?
Adrien kept moving to the hall. He was sure about talking with Kagami about this situation. She deserved to know, she deserved to be with someone that actually loved her, not him. He couldn't think about anyone besides his lady, Ladybug, Marinette...
They were this whole time the same person... How could he never figured it out before? They wouldn't be in this situation if he did. For a moment he imagined what would it be if they knew it all along. They could be a couple, be in touch if something happened, cover up for each other. In all ways, there was no disadvantage in knowing each other's identities. Was there?
Adrien arrived to the hall, but his mind was still thinking about it. Why would Master Fu put such an stupid rule over the miraculous...
"Oh, Adrien. There you are." said a familiar voice.
Kagami was right behind him while he was thinking about this. It was now or never. Was he prepared?
"I was looking for you for a while." she continued "You disappeared without telling me anything."
"Yeah... I was.. doing something." he said timidly "Kagami... there's something I need to say."
She obviously noticed something was wrong. Her somewhat relaxed position - that looked more like a tense position of a normal person - faded into a more stressed one. Something was fishy, and it wasn't the salmon mousse.
"I... I can't do this, ok? I-I tried, but... I can't..." he began.
"Adrien, what's wrong?" she asked, scared.
"I-I can't lie to you. You are my friend, and I like you a lot, but I don't love you." he said without breathing. It wasn't that hard, was it?
Wait for it.
"W-What do you mean?" she said with tears forming in her brown eyes.
"I... I can't be your boyfriend... I tried, but... it wouldn't be fair for you... I'm so sorry."
She blinked, as if that way the tears would stop. As she understood that wouldn't happen, she closed her eyes and user her hands to wipe them. Once she has opened them again, the sad look was gone. In her face was nothing but neutrality and some level of contempt towards Adrien.
"I understand." her voiced trembled "See you, Adrien."
And she walked away, passively.
The scene was traumatic for Adrien. Couldn't she simply start screaming with all her strength? Why did she kept so neutral, as if it was nothing. Wasn't she going to miss him?
At least, it was done now.
Marinette
Gabriel's office was dark and empty. It was hard to believe that he would spend day and night in there, working. He obviously let work fill every moment he had to not fall into the sadness provoked by the death of his wife.
Gabriel turned on the lights in the studio and moved to Emilie's portrait. Marinette only now noticed the its similarities with "The Woman in Gold" of Gustav Klimt. That was surely not a coincidence.
"Marinette, I think neither of us were being totally honest for some time now." he began.
Our hero was caught in surprise. What could that mean?
"We've been working for months, yet we never stopped to look at each other." continued Gabriel, now turning to Marinette "If we did, we would have noticed several things a long time ago."
"Mi- Gabriel, what do you mean?" she asked, not understanding the point.
He looked at her in the eyes. Those were sad eyes, like if they were crying for hours. Eyes of someone in despair.
"I know who you are, Marinette Dupain-Cheng." he said "So I think you deserve to know who I am."
A cold wave hit Marinette. She felt a strong shiver. A sense that something was going to happen and she had to be ready.
A purple blur appeared close to Gabriel. But it wasn't a blur, it was a kwami. The butterfly kagami. Nooroo, Hawk Moth's kwami.
Marinette took reflexively a step back and almost felt of the small stairs to the higher platform in the atelier she was standing in. Gabriel Agreste was... he was...
Gabriel was Hawk Moth.
"How? How, how, HOW???" she said while keep moving back.
"Please Ladybug... or Marinette, or whatever you prefe-" he tried to say.
"How do you know that I'm Ladybug?" she asked.
"The dress, I saw the battle through Volpina's eyes." he answered "Now pleas-"
"What do you want?" she questioned.
He stopped for a moment as he needed to get the courage needed to say it.
"Your help." he finally said.
Marinette stopped walking back. That was unexpected.
"What do you mean with 'my help'?"
"Marinette, I shared with you why I was an absent father, why Adrien was so sensible, why our family is so closed." he restarted "You know we are in great pain."
Marinette figured the rest out on her own.
"You want my miraculous to bring your wife back from the death." she guessed.
Gabriel made a softer face. She understood. She was going to help him. He knew...
"Yes... I need your miraculous and Chat Noir's." he said, trying to get closer to Marinette. She reflectively took a step back. Too soon.
"I can't do that." she answered.
Gabriel frowned. He didn't want to fight Marinette. If he did... he would be in serious problems... He had to do all possibles to solve this without recurring to violence.
"Marinette, I need your help." he said with his face starting to getting wet "I need you."
"The miraculous have to keep the universe balanced, Gabriel." she said "If you bring your wife back, someone will die."
"There are seven billion people in the world, Marinette." he answered "How many of them are thieves, murderers, criminals, corrupt politicians?" his voice was getting louder and angrier, but not towards Marinette, it was towards the world "The odds of freeing the world of one of them while bringing one of the sweetest women in history back to life... I will take the risk."
"I don't know..." she said, crying too. Why did he had to bring her to this position? "Can... can you give me some time to think?"
Gabriel was disappointed. He was expecting Marinette to be more supportive. But he finally said:
"Of course."
Lila
It was time.
The dark alley was getting too cold and the clock was already on the ten o'clock. The green eyed boy looked at Lila.
"It's time, my little fox." he said.
She smirked. She was finally going to do what she was meant to.
She extended her hand and covered it with her other hand, just like Hawk Moth does. In the space between both, a dark butterfly started to materialize. It was her akuma.
She released it, but it didn't fly away. It was waiting for orders. The akuma wasn't bonded with the butterfly miraculous anymore. Lila closed the connection between both, as if Hawk Moth was too far away to communicate, even if he was just a few meters from it.
She then picked up her necklace and extended it to the akuma.
"Come to me, my little akuma, and evilize me!" she screamed.
The akuma landed on the necklace, turning it black. As Lila put her necklace back on her neck, she turned into Volpina.
"You look... powerful." her partner said.
"Thanks. I do my best." she replied.
He grabbed her waist and she flew away to Gabriel's office, he was alone.
"Of course." he said "Only that old man to be working while he's holding a party."
"Better for us." Lila replied.
She broke a window and landed in his office. Her partner freed her and hid in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to show up.
"Hello there, Gabriel." she said.
Gabriel
Gabriel turned back. He wasn't expecting to see Volpina.
"H-H-How?" he asked.
"You should have your secrets better kept, my dear." she mocked "With the right help, I got access to your precious tablet and to the Miraculous Spellbook. From that moment, it was easy to learn how to cut the bond between an akuma and it's miraculous and how to summon it in times of need."
Gabriel was in shock but, after some seconds, he recovered the cool head.
"And may I ask who helped you?" he asked
"It was me." said someone, revealing himself.
Now Gabriel was in total shock. A light figure emerged from darkness. His blond tidy hair like his own son's, the same green eyes, the same height and body, but a dark aura. Yes, a dark aura of hate. And in his hand, a silver ring, like the one Gabriel was using in his very hand as a symbol of his eternal love for Emilie. The one he instinctively protected with the other hand.
How could him? Gabriel couldn't believe his eyes. He knew... He knew... He was behind this with his own ally. Correction, with his former ally. He was after him, he always were, like a shadow, like a fear he had.
Gabriel had to catch his breath and calm himself down. If he was right, he would need all his strength to what was about to happen. But first, he had to say something. He needed to be as neutral as he could. Fortunately, he mastered the art of being indifferent to what surrounds him after years of practice. Deep breath, and then he finally said:
"Hello, Félix."